Declining prevalence rates of syphilis among police officers in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, 1990-2010

Jacob Lopatko Lindman; Fredrik Månsson; Antonio Biague; Zacarias José Da Silva; Sören Andersson; Hans Norrgren

doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000012

Declining prevalence rates of syphilis among police officers in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, 1990-2010

Sex Transm Dis. 2013 Oct;40(10):794-6. doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000012.

Authors

Jacob Lopatko Lindman¹, Fredrik Månsson, Antonio Biague, Zacarias José Da Silva, Sören Andersson, Hans Norrgren

Affiliation

¹ From the *Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Division of Infection Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; †Department of Clinical Sciences, Infectious Diseases Research Unit, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden; ‡National Public Health Laboratory, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, West Africa; §Department of Clinical Microbiology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden; and ¶Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Division of Infection Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.

PMID: 24275730
DOI: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000012

Abstract

We analyzed prevalence rates of syphilis (positive Treponema pallidum hemagglutinin antigen/T. pallidum particle antigen and venereal disease research laboratory test) among police officers in Guinea-Bissau from 1990 to 2010 and found a significant decline from 4.5% to 0.4% (P = 0.0065). Our results are in line with other recent reports from West Africa. More research is needed to identify the reasons for this decline.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Age Distribution
Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
Female
Guinea-Bissau / epidemiology
Humans
Male
Mass Screening
Middle Aged
Police / statistics & numerical data*
Prevalence
Risk-Taking
Sentinel Surveillance
Sex Distribution
Sexual Behavior / statistics & numerical data*
Syphilis / epidemiology*
Syphilis / prevention & control
Syphilis Serodiagnosis
Treponema pallidum / isolation & purification*

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents